Black the Beast
by DemonFoxBK201
Summary: The infamous assassin, "The Fallen Angel," like its name implies, is an angel of death. They've never failed an assignment, and work for unknown reasons. The only known picture of her showed a red hooded girl with a giant scythe, a Grimm mask, and black feathered wings... (Dark Ending) (Pairing undecided)
1. Descending from Shadows

_Among Faunus, there are many subspecies. To humans, with some exceptions, all Faunus are animals. It doesn't matter if they have horns or ears or a tail, they are discriminated against for their animal traits._

 _One little girl in red was no exception._

 _"Stop it! Please!" a girl's voice screamed._

 _There was a little red-headed girl with a matching cloak cowering to a group of people. Her clothes were ragged and torn, her cloak being no exception. The cloak itself looked to be too big for her, the bottom trailed across the ground because the girl was too short. She couldn't be older than ten._

 _The group of people was composed of humans of all ages._

 _The adults scowled at her, called her names and kicking her sides to prevent her from running._

 _The elderly just watched in disgust, both at the fact that there was a Faunus girl, and that their children and grandchildren were injuring her._

 _The teens cackled in laughter and threw rocks at the girl's sensitive, and already bruised, wings. The children just watched, some in angered satisfaction, others, the kind ones, in slight worry._

 _A man came forward, grabbing harshly onto her wings, eliciting a pained cry from the girl as her wings were pulled and injured even more. The man grinned in satisfaction at her cry, grinning even more when tears fell out of the little girl's eyes._

 _"Please…" she whimpered._

 _"Don't tell me what to do, you stupid animal," the man growled. "Here, I'll be nice and do you a favor," he said, a sick smile spreading onto his face._

 _The girl paled, turned around and tried to stand, but the man just kicked her in the back, sending her toppling back down. The man placed one of his boots in the space between her shoulder blades, between her wings. Grabbing onto both of her wings, he **pulled**._

 _"Come on," the man said darkly, "I'm doing you a favor, can't you at least say **thanks!** " he said, adding more strength on the last words._

 _The girl screamed in complete and utter **pain** , before crying even harder. She called out for help, for anyone kind enough to stop the man from tearing her wings off._

 _Despite her cries for help, the girl didn't believe that anyone would help her. Except, her calls were answered. The man was shot in the neck with a pitch-black arrow, downing the man in an instant._

 _As the man fell down, blood flowing from his neck, the crowd parted to glare at the killer in anger. The girl looked up, at her savior, and saw eyes of burning embers._

 _It was a teenage woman, with hair that curled fashionably to one side. She wore black clothes, with burning orange markings embedded into them. She held two curved swords, with no sign of a bow or quiver._

 _"Now, won't you stop torturing this cute little girl?" she said in a dark, but laid-back voice._

 _A person from the crowd grabbed a nearby shovel, and charged at her. "This is for my dad!" he shouted._

 _The woman merely slapped the shovel away, then, with a twitch of her wrist, set the boy ablaze. He screamed in pain, much like the girl had done moments before, eventually succumbing to the fire and falling to the ground, dead._

 _More angered looks were sent the woman's way, but she just brushed them off and stepped forward. "Little girl, what is your name?" she asked softly, bending down to look her in the eye._

 _The girl stared at her, at a loss for words, before gaining a small smile. "Ruby Rose," she said in the happiness of finally being accepted._

 _The woman smiled. "My name is Cinder Fall. Would you like to come with me?" she asked, holding out her hand._

 _The girl stared at the hand for a moment, before slowly lifting her own hand to take it. The woman led the girl away, hand-in-hand. Ruby looked up at the person who prevented her wings from being torn from her body._

 _"Thank you."_

* * *

A grave was embedded into the ground before her. An emblem of a rose in full bloom was engraved into the surface. The hooded girl stared continuously at the words etched into the grave.

 _"Thus, Kindly I Scatter"_

The words glared at her. They forced the truth into her face, stomped on her heart, then tore it to shreds. She refused to look at it any longer, turning around and walking away, a tear escaping her eye as she struggled not to cry.

In her wake, black rose petals fluttered in the wind, accompanied by a flurry in snow. She spread her black wings and, with a few flaps, flew.

A single black feather was carried through the blizzard, only to land briefly, before getting snatched up by the wind again.

* * *

The girl flew through the frostbitten forest, landing softly as she decided to walk instead. Her cloak fluttered out behind her, her Semblance leaving rose petals in her wake.

The shattered moon was the only thing lighting the forest. Moonlight reflected off of the white snow beneath her feet, causing it to gleam.

Snow crunched under her shoes, warning nearby life forms of her presence. Yet, instead of a frightened animal running away, what disrupted the peaceful night was the creatures of destruction.

Descending from the shadows, the creatures of Grimm stopped her walk.

This was what she wanted. A fight to get her mind clear. She reached behind her, to the small of her back, and grabbed the familiar metal.

It comforted her. She knew she could outrun anything with the help of her Semblance, but she preferred fighting to fleeing. Her beloved scythe unfolded, showing to the Grimm what would soon be their death.

Whoever said the only options were a fight or flight?

She unfurled her dark wings, lifting off in flight. She flew over to the nearest Grimm, an Ursa Major, and readied her scythe. Soon after, a series of gunshots echoed through the snowy forest.

* * *

Her wings carried her through the air, folding once she landed. She unlocked the door the her apartment, and hurried inside.

She had an assignment tonight.

Glancing at the clock, she quickly got ready. The sun was already setting, leaving a sky full of warm hues to give way to the night sky. The girl took her t-shirt and jeans off and exchanged them for a black and red blouse and combat skirt.

Her shirts were unique, having been made specially for her, with long holes in the back. While somewhat difficult to get into, it was a lot more comfortable than having her wings trapped against her back, and it was definitely more favorable than wearing nothing.

She still wore her usual stockings, even wearing them with her jeans. She pulled her favorite combat boots on, instead of the tennis shoes she wore before.

Her trademark cloak, having become infamous along with her scythe and wings, was a necessity. It was her only remaining present from her mother, and she wore it wherever she went. Placing her folded scythe back in its holder on her back, she looked out the window.

In the short time it had taken her to get dressed, the oranges and yellows from the sunset had dissolved into the blues and purples of the night. The stars shone brightly, a stark contrast to when she was in a city. This town was simple, and old, but it gave the best view of the night sky. A shattered moon, suspended in space, looked down on Remnant.

The silence that had calmed her was quickly broken by the sounds of a song. It was her favorite song: Red Like Roses, the song her mother used to sing to her, except it was sung in her own voice. It came from her Scroll, but she only used that song for a small group of people: the one's she worked for. She read the caller's name, Cinder Fall, and her face gained a slightly relieved expression.

 _Good_ , she thought, _it wasn't Emerald or Mercury, or even that other girl, Neo._

She had never really gotten along with Cinder's other subordinates. Cinder herself was different though. The girl knew Cinder was only using her, but still she was obedient.

She owed a debt to Cinder, and she vowed to repay it.

Answering the call after a moment, she looked down at the screen. **"If you finally decide to answer the call, don't stay silent, Little Rose,"** she heard a seductive voice, clearly female, answer.

"What's the assignment?"

Usually, Cinder told her what the assignment was beforehand. She had done many jobs for Cinder up until this point, ranging from spying to stealing, and even her infamous assassinations. This time, Cinder refused to tell. She had figured that Cinder would tell her eventually, otherwise there would be no reason for her to go, not even knowing what to do.

 **"Getting right down to business. You know, that's why I like you."**

"I don't mean to be rude, but stop with the flatter."

She's known Cinder for years, despite her age. Cinder had practically raised her. Cinder was the only one to show her kindness in this harsh world. Cinder herself had trained her, despite not using a scythe, she knew the woman's fighting style, objectives, and personality.

She was obedient, but she didn't like being left in the dark.

 **"The target is someone I'm sure you'd happily kill."**

"An assassination?" she asked in surprise. Although the last part of the statement had her a bit interested.

Most of the people Cinder had her kill were people getting in the way of her plans, or potential threats. That was 'most' of them. She wasn't a sadist nor did she enjoy killing, but sometimes, there were the few in between that deserved death.

Those that deserved judgement.

Cinder let her kill those people sometimes, the few times she 'enjoyed' her line of work. She could already feel a grin carving itself onto her face.

 **"Yes. Your job tonight is to kill the head of the Schnee Dust Company, Kalt Schnee."**

"I'll do it," she answered immediately.

She had heard all the rumors, and spies had reported most of them to be true. Cinder did this occasionally, as a way to make sure she was loyal. She chose targets the girl would want to kill. It was unneeded concern, but the girl didn't care. She was sure Cinder didn't either. The targets she chooses specifically for the girl are usually hindering her in some way.

The girl grabbed her last remaining accessory. In her hand was a mask.

It was the armor of a Grimm. It fit her face perfectly, giving her an ominous look. The white, bone-like material had eight red, glowing holes in it. Four on each side. The top two red orbs were carved out, as eyeholes for the girl. She wore it as a precaution, but it had been unnecessary concern so far.

There were rarely any witnesses anyway.

 **"I knew you would, Ruby Rose."**

* * *

Kalt Schnee was having a normal day, or at least as normal a day can get when everyone hates you. His daughter, Weiss, had gotten angry with his decisions, again. Winter was still the only person she got along with. Winter herself was out doing some mission he didn't care about.

Currently he was sitting at his desk, taking a small break from the mass of paperwork that came with his job. Nothing of his interest had happened so far today, and he found himself staring out of his office window.

Winter was out there, somewhere. Weiss wanted to go out there, somewhere. He himself was content with just sitting in the safety of his office.

He stared out at the shattered moon. He hated that moon. People looked up to it, seeing beauty, but all he saw was a failure. Something that was supposed to be majestic and mighty was broken. God had made a mistake.

Kalt wasn't religious, but he often found himself cursing whatever force or being it was that gave him bad luck, and screwed the world up.

Having gotten lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice a shadow of red and black flash across the moon. What he did notice, was a black feather floating through the air, and landing softly on his window seal.

He stared at the feather, bothered.

 _I thought crows don't fly at night? Or is it from some other bird?_

Suddenly curious, he unlocked his window and opened it. He picked up the feather and examined it. He wasn't an expert on birds, but he was fairly certain it was from a crow – or raven.

A breeze past by, wind rustling through his hair, and forcing its way through the feather, much to his protest. He dropped the feather. There was someone here with him, he could feel it. If the bloodlust pouring out of them was any indication, they didn't care to hide their presence.

A boot lodged itself into his back, pressing hard. He grunted with the sudden pain as his head was forced into his desk. The silence of the night was deafening. He could feel the cold metal of a blade touching his neck, teasing him. It was sharp, slowly traveling across his neck, tearing through the skin with ease despite the lack of effort from the wielder. He could already feel a few beads of blood flowing down. The cut wasn't deep, it was merely a foreshadowing of what was to come.

"What do you want? Money? I can give you all the money you would ever need and more," Kalt bargained.

"You clearly have no idea how many times I've heard that statement, but anyway, no, I don't want any money from someone like you," his assailant replied.

Kalt was surprised. Judging from the voice, not only was his attacker a girl, but she was also very young. He found himself struggling more, he wanted to look at her, and see her face. In response to his struggling, the boot dug deeper into his spine, causing him to immediately stop.

"Why do you want to kill me?" he found himself asking.

"Multiple reasons: I was ordered to, I wanted to, you're in the way of _her_ plans."

Her voice had changed. Before she had answered almost innocently, now her voice was as dark as the night sky. Kalt found a shiver going up his spine at her change in tone. The first two reasons were things he had heard many times before, it was the last reason that warranted his concern.

"Whose plans? Who are you? Some Faunus sympathizer? Do you think killing me will set those Faunus free?!" he demanded quietly. If he was going to die, he wanted to at least get some information. Maybe a guard will hear.

"I'm not a Faunus sympathizer, I am a _Faunus_. You come to conclusions pretty quickly, don't you, and do you really think I'd give away such information?" she muttered, slight puzzlement was evident in her voice.

"A Faunus?" He almost found himself growling in annoyance. Of course! One of those animals would come and try to kill him! He'd show her!

"Guards! Assassin!" he yelled out. He could practically feel her scowl. Then he heard a _click_ that resounded throughout the silence.

It took him only a moment to figure out what it was, and by that time, it was already far, far too late.

A sharp, resounding gunshot was heard thereafter.

The Head of the Schnee Dust Company lay, limp, on the floor of his office, decapitated. Slowly, blood started pooling on the floor.

In that instant, a bang cut the silence once again, but this time the sound came from the door slamming open.

"Freeze!" the two guards shouted pointing their guns at her.

"That's so cliche… I just killed your boss and you say 'freeze'? Rather than jail me, shouldn't you kill me?" Ruby said in a laid back manner, chuckling at their actions. She had pressed a finger to her cheek, as if in thought. She was sitting on the desk as to not get her favorite pair of boots full of blood. One foot was on the desk, ruining the papers the former Head of Company had been working on. Her other foot hung loosely off, hovering slightly above the blood.

Perhaps seeing the logic in her words, the guards opened fired, rapid bullets shot towards the girl, until she disappeared. She didn't turn invisible, otherwise the bullets wouldn't have hit nothing, but in her place was a small pile of blackened rose petals.

A second later, a large group of guards came through the door, each wondering what was going on. The moment they saw their boss dead on the ground, the whole place went on high alert.

"Find the assassin! We can't allow them to get away!" one shouted out orders, sending the guards out to search.

Guards slowly trickled out of the mansion, guns raised and cautious.

The two guards in the room first were brought to the only other authority figure in the building: Weiss Schnee.

They explained to her the most they could. The fact that the assassin was a girl, her Grimm mask, her red cloak, and the age of her voice. They mentioned how she didn't seem to hold a weapon, despite the clearly blade-made cut on the former Head's neck and the gunshot. They theorized that she had hidden her weapon in its compact form.

They also mentioned that the assassin had wings.

* * *

Weiss Schnee didn't want this. She was having a rare, relaxing moment when the guards burst into her room.

She had heard the gunshot. Even footsteps could be easily heard in the silence of the Schnee mansion. She had been having a rough day, and didn't realize what the gunshot meant.

So now here she was, listening to her guards babble about how her father had been assassinated by a girl that perfectly fit the description of The Fallen Angel.

"Ugh. Have you all been living under a _rock_?!" she screeched.

The guards paused their ranting about the details and begging for mercy. The looked at her and said something that just made Weiss' day worse, "What do you mean?"

"Ugh! For the love of- How did you get a job protecting _Schnees_ when you don't even know who to protect us from!" she yelled in anger.

"We're protecting you from assassins and the White Fang," one of them replied smugly.

Weiss looked ready to run them through with her rapier, or encase them in ice, or both. She started waving her hands around in her anger during her explanation.

"Not _just_ them you dolts! _Which_ assassins?! I bet you don't know who that girl is!" Weiss said stomping her foot for emphasis. These guards were all idiots! Did her father just hire them for intimidation?! Or to annoy her?!

"Uh… She's an assassin?" the other guard said not-so-helpfully. He shrugged and prepared for the oncoming yelling that was signature to the Schnees.

"She's The Fallen Angel," Weiss said, sullenly, much to the surprise of the guards. "If you're going to protect us, do some research on who our enemies are," she continued, "Lots of research you have to do…"

She whispered the last part in anger. Her father had many enemies, and to suddenly die meant they were all of her enemies. Winter had refused to inherit the company, leaving Weiss as the only choice.

"We apologize," one of the guards said. His quick change in attitude showed he wanted to keep his high-paying job.

Weiss narrowed her eyes, then spoke, "You're dismissed." Both of the guards quickly left the room, relieved to have not heard the word 'fired' instead.

Weiss looked at her desk or, more specifically, her Scroll on the desk. She had been having a relatively normal day, then this happened. She didn't like her father, nor did she get along with him, but she wasn't ready to inherit something the size of the Schnee Dust Company. She wanted to become a huntress and make a name for herself that wasn't "that Schnee heiress."

Maybe Winter would allow that of her.

* * *

Ruby watched the guards from a great distance, her Faunus vision allowing her to see them clearly, despite being over a hundred meters away. She was sitting in a tall tree, watching them. They cautiously pointed their guns at any moving shadow. More than once they had open fired on some poor animal that they had mistakenly thought was her.

If she was a normal Faunus, she might've been insulted that they mistook an animal for her, but she wasn't a normal Faunus.

Most Faunus find some way to prevent discrimination against them, whether it be by hiding their Faunus traits, rebelling – which only made it worse – or moving to a place that accepted both humans and Faunus.

Rather than do what a usual Faunus does, she did a little of two of those choices.

Assassinating people with raven wings spread for flight had earned her infamy. It wasn't the type of rebelling the White Fang did – she was an assassin not a terrorist – but it made people think she was with the White Fang. She was content with that. Just let the White Fang take the blame.

Although Cinder had been slowly getting their support in her plans, she never mentioned that she had a little raven Faunus as an assistant. Cinder and her subordinates didn't judge her for her species, like most humans, which allowed her to get along well enough with them, but Cinder was the only one she would take orders from. Even if Emerald or Mercury had said that the order was from Cinder, she'd find Cinder and confirm it, not wanting the two to take advantage of her loyalty to Cinder.

A quiet song broke her from her thoughts.

 _"Red like roses fills my dreams_

 _and brings me to the place you rest."_

She found herself humming to the quiet tune. Lost in memories. Her head slowly swung from left to right and back again, in tune to the soft beat.

 _"White is cold and always yearning_

 _burdened by, a royal test."_

A memory came to the surface of her mind at the words "white" and "cold", causing her to choke down a sob.

A white cloak. Snow fluttering in the wind. A grave.

 _"Black the beast_

 _descends from shadows."_

That was her favorite line. It describes her job pretty well, but that's not the reason. Who are the beasts in this word?

The beast… Animals. The Faunus. The Grimm. Humans. Each of those can be considered 'beasts', but Ruby had her own opinion.

Humans were the beast.

 _"Yellow beauty burns…_

 _Gold."_

After a moment of silence followed, then peaceful silence returned. With a sudden realization, Ruby realized she hadn't answered the call. The nostalgic music had come from her Scroll. She quickly brought it out and looked at the caller's name.

Emerald Sustrai.

Ruby sighed with relief. If it was Cinder then she would've felt bad, and Cinder probably would've thought that something went wrong. She had almost never neglected to answer one of Cinder's calls.

If it was Emerald then that was fine. She could just play it off as not wanting to talk to the green-haired thief. Soon after, the song started playing again, but this time the caller was Cinder.

Ruby quickly answered, jumping from the tree and gliding away from the Schnee mansion. **"Are you showing favoritism?"** Cinder's voice said, before she chuckled in amusement.

"Somewhat," was her blank-voiced answer.

 **"How is the job going? You don't usually take this long,"** Cinder said, wanting answers.

"Nothing went wrong. Kalt Schnee is dead. I was seen by two guards, but that shouldn't be a problem," she answered in slight detail.

 **"Then what took you so long?"** Cinder questioned. Her voice was unusual; a mixture between satisfaction and annoyance.

"I was having a little fun. Do all assassinations I do have to happen in less than two seconds?" she asked a little puzzled, but annoyed nonetheless.

 **"Hmm… I suppose you are at that age…"**

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she muttered.

 **"Nothing… Just go the rendez-vous point."**

"I know. I'm heading there now."

With a quiet beep the call ended. Ruby flew across the sky, her wings catching air currents, allowing her to lazily glide. She was traveling silently like that. Despite raven wings being difficult to silence, practice can do a lot to fix things.

After several minutes, the rendez-vous point came into view. It was the tallest building in the city. A Bullhead hovered over it, waiting. Using her Semblance to speed up, she appeared through the open door, enjoying the surprised gasps and shocked stares.

"I'm back," she said blankly.

The crew immediately got into their places, and the Bullhead flew off to the base Cinder was currently using. She sighed in contentment. Taking her mask off and folding her wings to allow them rest.

The flight wasn't very long. When they arrived, Ruby jumped down to the ground, running off to meet Cinder. Her superior wasn't hard to find, since she had two people constantly trailing her. When Ruby found her, Cinder was threatening Roman Torchwick with a fireball. This situation happened extremely often, Roman being left in the dark about Cinder's plan, and not liking it.

Ruby snuck up behind Roman, smiling devilishly. Cinder blinked in slight surprise, not having expected her back so suddenly, but then a devilish grin rivaling Ruby's stretched itself across her face, and she sharply nodded.

Immediately Ruby grabbed Roman with both of her hands and quickly shot into the air.

A startled "WOOOAAAHHHHHH!" filled the space, making some of the White Fang members nearby jump. Some of the newer guards looked up, surprised to see their boss flying with a red cape billowing behind him, while most of the other guards just sighed in annoyance.

That happened often too.

When Ruby was roughly twenty meters in the air, she let him go. He screamed as he fell, not having recovered from suddenly being lifted into the air. Mercury caught him, with a laughing face. Emerald was giggling to herself at the situation. Roman pushed himself off of Mercury and rubbed his aching head.

"Red, please stop doing that," he groaned.

"Only when you stop questioning Cinder," she replied smugly.

Roman scoffed in annoyance, before walking away. Cinder watched him leave, a smug look on her face. "Good job, Little Rose," she said, turning to Ruby.

"It's fine," she replied.

"I know it's sudden, but I have another job for you," Cinder said. Ruby frowned. Usually she got to prepare in advance. The most recent job she did was the only exception.

"Is it another assassination?" she asked.

"No. This job is something you've never done before." Cinder cupped Ruby's face in her hands, and forced her to stare directly into her ember eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, unnerved. Cinder's stare is not something you want to get caught up in.

"I need you to go into Beacon Academy. Undercover."

* * *

 **Edited by Caroline98**

 **Okay… No I will not abandon my Akame ga Kill fics… I just really, REALLY wanted to write this.**

 **Chances are, this won't be updated for a while, but I wanted to get this published.**

 **So basically in this fic, bird faunus aren't rare, it's just that having the wings is rare.**

 **I'm not entirely sure if people can even have faunus wings, but in this fic they can.**

 **Please, please, PLEASE review!**


	2. Burning Gold

_"Ruby! Where are you?" she called out playfully._

 _She was playing hide-and-seek with the her little sister, Ruby. Ruby was her half-sister by blood, but it was all the same to them. The girl had been a good hider ever since the first game, so now the girl searched continuously for her, and any signs of a bright red hood._

 _"Marco!" she called deviously. Ruby loved that game, maybe she would slip up and call out 'Polo!'_

 _However, silence was all that met her call._

 _The game had been going on for hours, but there was never silence._

 _Among the trees and fields of grass that the two played in, the sounds of animals were often heard. Bugs of many kinds trying to attract attention. Rodents scurrying away in fear. Birds calling out to each other. Animals were everywhere. Sometimes you could even hear the Grimm that roamed around in search of prey._

 _There was none of that._

 _Night had fallen. The broken moon shone brightly as if in comfort, but that did nothing to decrease the girl's increasing worry._

 _"Ruby! It's late! Let's call off the game, okay? We'll play more tomorrow!" she shouted, her worry continuing to grow. When silence met her promise instead of the little red ball of energy that she loved, she started to panic._

 _"Ruby?!"_

 _She started running. The silent night unnerved her. In her short life, she had never heard a complete silence. There was always the creaking of old wood in the background, or rustling of wind, or the rippling of the ocean water._

 _But there was no noise whatsoever._

 _If you walked up to the panicking girl and told her she had gone deaf, she probably would've believed you._

 _"Ruby where are you?! We should go back!" the girl called out once more._

 _She was running through the forest, desperate to find her sister and go back to the warmth of her home. She wanted to get away from this cold, silent, forest. Her footsteps were the only things breaking the silence, they were practically deafening._

 _Running into a clearing, her blood ran cold._

 _A small scrap of her little sister's beloved red cloak was pinned to the ground by a knife._

 _A knife with blood on it._

 _Black feathers that could only have been from Ruby's wings were scattered across the clearing. Ruby had struggled. Ruby had fought._

 _But now she was gone._

* * *

She shot up, suddenly awake. Looking around wildly until she realized it was only a dream.

No. Not a dream, a memory.

She sighed, leaning forward and putting her head in her hands. Her messy blond hair, hung shaggily from her sleep, was like a lion's mane. Lilac eyes, now closed, had small bags under them.

"Ruby… I'll find you… I'll make whoever took you pay. So just… Please let me find you, alive…"

* * *

" _Beacon?_ Why?"Ruby asked in shock.

Normally she would never question Cinder, but her new mission was just plain absurd.

Infiltrating Beacon Academy wasn't the problem. She has had multiple lessons, from Cinder and her subordinates, so she wouldn't have a problem acting and lying, but that wasn't the problem. There were three big problems with infiltrating Beacon.

She was extremely infamous. Even if she didn't wear her beloved cloak to Beacon, which she _refused_ to do for _four_ years, that wasn't the only problem.

Crescent Thorn, her scythe, was the only weapon she used. Put simply, a gun-scythe was the only type of weapon she _could_ use. She had proved to be incompatible with all other weapon types. Cinder had decided that a sniper rifle as the gun form would be most effective. She had deduced that since Ruby could easily incorporate the recoil of the gun into her fighting style, she might as well have a gun that packed a punch. She had made Crescent Thorn with her own two hands, Cinder had allowed that of her. So she also refused to use some other, less complex, scythe.

Her weapon wasn't only one other problem.

Her biggest problem was her wings. There were other scythe wielders in Remnant, maybe not as good as her, but there were others. There were people who wanted to be flashy, so they wore some sort of brightly colored article of clothing. She might've been able to brush herself of as a mere look-alike of The Fallen Angel, if she didn't have her wings.

While bird Faunus aren't rare, it wasn't common to have wings. Wings were some of the rarest animal traits a faunus could have. There was probably no other girl in Vale who had raven wings.

"Do you _want_ me in jail? Actually, I'd be _lucky_ if they only sent me to jail," Ruby said through gritted teeth.

"Do not doubt me, Little Rose," Cinder said, brushing Ruby's cheek. "I know someone who knows Ozpin and Glynda very well… Glynda will accept Ozpin's decisions. Ozpin is predictable. He will likely try to transform you from my little assassin into the innocent little girl you look like. That won't happen though, will it?"

Ruby blinked in surprise. Was the famous Ozpin really that utterly _stupid?_

"Of course not," she answered in a serious voice.

"Good. The new school year is going to start in a month. Be there, and pass the initiation," Cinder ordered, turning away from Ruby.

"Got it. What do I do after that?" she asked. All doubt was wiped from her mind. Of course Cinder wouldn't send her in without a plan. She was so very useful to Cinder, she wouldn't be just thrown away.

"Wait."

Then Cinder walked off, her glass heels clinking on the concrete.

* * *

Yang had been looking for her little sister ever since that fateful day. Her young mind needed her father's help to figure out what happened, but when she figured it out, her world just came tumbling down on her. All pictures of Ruby, Yang now held in her possession. Anything to remember her face by.

Soon after, she entered Signal, hoping that becoming a Huntress would help her find Ruby. The fact that it had been Ruby's dream only served to drive her. She hoped to be able to find something, anything, that sounded like Ruby.

The only rumor she found that was similar, was of a little girl with a red hood and black wings. That rumor had sparked so much hope in Yang. Ruby was alive! It had to be Ruby!

Then she heard the details. The Faunus girl wielded a scythe and killed authority figures often. That only crushed Yang even more than not knowing if her little sister was alive.

Her sister was a cold-blooded killer.

Yang was sure this "Fallen Angel", as that was what the little girl was called, was Ruby.

Yang was happy though. Maybe she could find Ruby and convince her to come back. No, of course she'd come back! This was Ruby!

With renewed vigor, she searched for rumors about The Fallen Angel.

Hoping beyond hope to hear that she had defected. She never figured out exactly what happened, the only 'evidence' of what happened to her being a scrap of cloth, a knife, blood, and feathers.

She had even stopped her search for her mother. Her mother had left them without regret or remorse, if Taiyang and Qrow were telling the truth.

Ruby had struggled, but she was little and was taken away. Yang knew it was her fault. She should've been there. She should've heard what was happening. She should have never gone to the forest.

But she wasn't there. She didn't hear. She still went to the forest.

Here she stood, at the same clearing. She wore a red scarf. It was a dark red. A splotch of bright red contrasted from the darker shade that the rest of the scarf was made from.

Yang reached up, and grasped the scarf in her hands. She had requested the scrap of Ruby's cloak to be added to it, as it was one of her only treasures.

Despite her desperate search for Ruby, she hadn't ceased her search for her mother.

If she ever found Ruby, she would try her hand at finding her mother.

But until she found Ruby, her search for her mother would have to be placed on hold.

* * *

For the next month Ruby didn't do any jobs. She just trained and waited. Every once in a while she would go to the outskirts of the city for a break, or just because she needed to.

Today was one of those days.

Cinder wanted her to get some Dust for her, through fair means. Ruby couldn't figure out why. Roman Torchwick kept giving Cinder more Dust than the whole White Fang combined, needed. But Ruby didn't want to argue over such a trivial matter, so she went along with it and went out to buy some fire Dust.

She eventually decided to have a little enjoyment, Cinder having literally said, "take your time".

Her cloak covered her wings anyway.

She had already bought the Dust from the nearest Dust shop: From Dust Till Dawn, so she started reading a weapon magazine in the store. She had put her headphones on, not wanting to be bothered. She put Red Like Roses on, and set it to repeat after it was done.

She looked through the magazine, flipping through the pages, trying to find scythes. Eventually she came across it, but it was by far the smallest section of the book. All it held was a page full of tips about scythes and their weaknesses, and a few pages about well known scythe wielders.

The first page showed a man vaguely familiar to her. Qrow Branwen and his scythe. Her _uncle._

Ruby frowned at the picture, the door into her past, then turned the page.

The next page showed her and Crescent Thorn. Rather than her name, the title of the page was "The Fallen Angel". Rather than a full picture of her, like with her uncle, it was a copy of the only picture properly taken of her.

All the other pictures showed only a red blur, if they were lucky enough to even get that.

Her hood had been up, barely allowing viewers to see her mask. Her cloak billowed out behind her, and her wings were spread. She was running off to the left side of the photo, preparing for flight. Her scythe was gripped in both her hands, and the blade was behind her, as she was using the bullets' recoil to augment her speed.

The photo must've been taken by a _ridiculously_ expensive camera if the picture came out so good. She was not only using her Semblance, but also her bullets. Even in the picture the edges of her were blurred, but the fact remains that there is a picture of her.

Immediately after the picture was taken, her title arose.

In all honesty, Ruby didn't mind the title she was given. It didn't make her job harder, just made her targets even more scared. Her newest job gave her a great hatred for this picture. It made her job more annoying than it should be.

The next few pages held a few other known scythe users, all leagues below her and Qrow. With a barely audible sigh, she started flipping around the magazine randomly. Famous and infamous weapon users in one magazine.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Turning around sharply, she stared down the man in front of her. A man in a black suit with a red tie and red shades, wearing a top hat. He pointed to his ear in a clear, but ridiculous way of telling her to take her headphones off.

 _Aren't these the guys from that weird club?_ Ruby thought in bewilderment.

She took her headphones off and looked to the man. "Do you need something?" she asked in an innocent tone.

"I said: put your hands where I can see them," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 _I'm holding my headphones… They **are** where he can see them… Unless he's blind._

"Are you… robbing me?" she instead, questioned. When the goon answered with a yes, she decided to have a little fun. _Screw him._ With a Semblance augmented kick she sent him flying.

Walking to the front of the store, she looked around. Spotting someone she'd rather not have met, she used her Semblance to appear in front of him. She was sitting on the counter, legs crossed, smiling at him.

Roman Torchwick shot backwards in shock. The goons behind him readied their weapons for a fight. Roman, after recovering from the shock of her sudden appearance, raised a hand, stopping the goons from attacking.

"Red, why are you here?" he said in annoyance, she was never nice to him.

Suddenly it made sense. All of Cinder's evasive answers and small hints. _This_ was how she'd get into Beacon. Using Roman as a sacrifice.

"Sorry 'bout this."

Then she kicked him in the face with the full force of Cinder's training. He flew through the shop's window in a shower of broken glass. The goons were quick to react and charge, but it made no difference. Using her knowledge of the human body, she punched them skillfully in certain pressure points, causing them to stumble back, one collapsing in pain.

Her Semblance was quickly put to work, and she appeared behind each one of them, knocking them in their necks. They fell to the ground, or in one case stayed on the ground, limp. Although their chests could still be seen rising and falling.

Jumping out the window after Roman, she landed on his back, causing him to fall back down, him having been trying to get up. Small cuts littered his face and arms from the glass shards. With a face full of concrete, he mumbled, "Why?"

"Reasons…" was all that Ruby answered.

Soon enough, sirens echoed off the buildings. Flashing blue and red lights slowly got closer. Ruby looked up to the sky, seeing a Bullhead fly away.

Two yellow embers stared back at her through the shadows in the Bullhead. Roman gaped at the retreating vehicle, a look of betrayal coming across his face. "I do everything she asks and this is how I get repaid?" he said, sending a glare at the assassin pinning him down.

"Oh come on. She plans to rescue you. This was just the easiest and fastest way to help our goal." Ruby said. She wasn't sure if Cinder actually planned to rescue him, but she said that to keep him quiet. If he thought that he was still useful, then he won't blab what little information he knows.

Roman didn't look to happy, but he stopped struggling. The police quickly arrived at the store owner's call, arresting the goons and Roman. Roman took one last glance at her, before getting forced into the car. Ruby smirked at him in accomplishment. Cinder had found an easy way to at least earn Ozpin's respect.

Entering Beacon early wasn't unheard of, but being two years early would take a lot of effort on Ruby's part. However, if Ozpin was as stupid as Cinder had said, then it might not be biggest obstacle Ruby has to overcome.

When a green-eyed, blond-haired woman greeted her sternly, Ruby barely suppressed a grin. She knew who this woman was: Glynda Goodwitch, Ozpin's assistant. Glynda led her to a dull, gray building, and then to a room inside that looked suspiciously like an interrogation room.

Ruby spared the room a quick glance, before returning her gaze to the blond instructor.

She pointed to the chair in an obvious way of saying "sit down". Ruby sat on the edge of the seat, ready to run at a moment's notice. Even if she trusted Cinder and her plans, she didn't trust the individual in the room with her. Glynda started pacing around the table in a circle, muttering to herself about things Ruby could barely hear.

She caught on to a few words Glynda said, and she couldn't help but narrow her eyes. "Red hooded girl," "young", "The Fallen Angel," and many other words and phrases were whispered by the stern faced blond.

She knew exactly who Ruby was.

 _How? I didn't take Crescent Thorn out, and my wings are covered… I don't have my mask either…_

Then another person walked in the room. Speckled brown eyes seemed distant, as if looking elsewhere despite facing her. A steaming coffee mug in his hand, a plate of cookies in the other.

 _Okay, first off, how does he know I like cookies? Actually, that's a stupid question, everybody likes cookies… But then how did he prepare them so quickly?_

Ruby's mind raced a mile a second as it tried to figure out how they knew who she was.

 _It's not like I'm the only girl in Remnant that wears a red cloak, right?_

Then Ozpin's spoke, "You… are The Fallen Angel, aren't you?" He leaned forward, forcing Ruby to lean backwards.

"Before I answer, why would you even think I was that person?" Ruby snapped, but in her mind she was thinking, _Maybe because I **am** that girl… Although there's no evidence… Unless they make me take off my cloak…_

"Ahh… Trying to find out where you made a mistake? Sorry, I won't answer that."

 _How annoying… I hate people who can read me._

"You're weird you know?" Ruby said, and annoyed look coming across her face. She decided to drop the innocent act, but refused to reveal information.

"Decided to drop the act? Good, it's easy to see through," Glynda said, finally stopping her pacing.

"Is it so obvious?" Ruby asked, wanting to know if her acting lessons had been a waste of time.

"No. It's not," Ozpin's answered. "I probably would've believed that you were the adorable little girl you appear to be…"

 _If_ … The statement hung in the air, despite not being said. _If what?! Where did I slip up?!_ Ruby thought, growing increasingly annoyed.

"So, what is an infamous assassin such as yourself doing apprehending criminals?" he said, getting down to business.

"Why not?" Ruby said curtly. Something about him unnerved her, which served to annoy her.

"I suppose that's the most I'm going to get out of you, isn't it?"

"You've got that right," Ruby said. She reached up and pulled her hood down, not wanting to look at the man in front of her. With part of her vision blocked, she didn't notice Ozpin raise an eyebrow, nor did she notice him move the arm with the cookies until the plate was placed in front of her.

Ruby blinked in wonder. She picked up a cookie and sniffed it suspiciously. Noticing her actions, Ozpin let a small, almost unrecognizable, smile creep onto his face, surprising Glynda. "I didn't poison those cookies," he said answering Ruby's unasked question.

The girl's head shot up in surprise, before she looked back down at the cookie. _Ah screw it… I'll just have to hope that the guy who knew Ozpin, knew him good enough._ She took a tentative bite of the cookie in her hand, pausing before starting to shovel all the cookies in her mouth.

Both of the adults in the room looked surprised at this action. Ruby raised her head to savor the taste of the cookies. They were so good! Cinder rarely let her have any sort of dessert item. As an expression of joy came across her face, Ozpin suddenly realized why she seemed so familiar.

"Young lady, what is your name?" he dreaded, and hoped at the same time, that the answer would be what he was thinking. Her look of bliss was instantly replaced with suspicion, once more surprising the adults. Can her mood change that quickly?

"Ruby Rose… Why?" she asked in annoyance.

Ozpin and Glynda realized what that meant. Rose. Shaking off the memories, he asked a different question, hoping to fix some past mistakes.

"Would you like to attend Beacon?"

Ruby's eyes widened. He was making it so easy for her!

"Are you stupid?" Her attitude switched drastically. "You're gonna let me, an _assassin_ , go to a school full of _students?"_

"I do not believe you would kill someone without reason. Whether that reason is because you wanted to, or because you were _ordered_ to."

The tension in the room was suffocating. The assassin and the headmaster stared each other down, waiting for one to give in. The exchange lasted for several stuffy minutes, until Glynda broke it up. "It is a yes or no question, Miss Rose," she said, sending her own stern glare at the girl in red.

She looked away. "Fine," she said it so quickly and quietly the teachers almost mistook it for a high-pitched grunt.

"Then, please arrive to Beacon, by Bullhead, by tomorrow," Ozpin said, then walked away, Glynda following him after getting one last look at the daughter of Summer Rose.

* * *

Arriving on the Bullhead at the scheduled time, Yang looked around at her new classmates. Most of them looked like average warriors, especially a blond kid with chest and shoulder armor, with an old-fashioned sword at his hip.

There were a few who seemed somewhat interesting.

Like that white-haired girl with the rapier, who was clearly rich, and pampered. Or that red-headed girl with golden armor, looking to have quite a good amount of experience. Even that black haired girl with that bow, that for some reason reminded Yang of the little black cat that used to stop at her home in Patch, for food.

However, there was one person who caught Yang's eye, and refused to free it.

A little girl in a red hood.

 _No way…_

A quick-walking passerby created a breeze, rustling the girl's cloak, revealing a pair of black wings pressed against the girl's back. The cloak quickly went back to covering the wings, so a person who hadn't been staring at the girl wouldn't have noticed.

But the damage was done.

Realization hit Yang like a truck.

 _Ruby..?_

* * *

 **Edited by Caroline98**

 **Okay… Chances are I'll be taking longer to update… This is the first time, ever that I've updated after three days… OwO**

 **Anyway, please review… Pretty please with a cherry on top.**


	3. Black and White

**Okay… Due to popular demand, I've decided how to end this…**

 **In this, Black the Beast, I will end it darkly. Ruby stays on Cinder's side throughout the story.**

 **That is all I will say…**

 **But I'm going to make an alternate ending, where Ruby becomes good (that's what I was originally planning)...**

* * *

Ruby waited on the airship. Her wings were pressed uncomfortably against her back, but it was necessary. She figured she would have to get used to the uncomfortable feel, much to her displeasure.

 _'The things I do for Cinder…'_

She stood in bored silence as she waited for the Bullhead to land.

 _'I should've just flown to Beacon…'_

But she didn't because there was a decent chance of being noticed when she was in the sky. A splotch of red and black against the baby blue…

Lost in her annoyed thoughts, she didn't notice the person that walked up to her. Suddenly her arm was grabbed harshly as she was pulled toward her assailant. Her hand twitched, struggling against itself, wanting to grab her scythe. Ruby forced herself not to, instead bracing herself for the 'punishment' from whichever Faunus discriminator had seen her wings.

She struggled, trying to pull her hand out of the iron grip, before a second hand grabbed her chin and forced her to look upwards. She stared wide eyed into a pair of lilac eyes.

They were so familiar.

Then the tall blonde that had grabbed her spoke, "Ruby?"

Ruby could actually _feel_ the blood draining from her face. This wasn't supposed to happen. Yang wasn't supposed to be able to find her here. Yang wasn't supposed to _be_ here. Why was she here?

She could see Yang studying her face, tears of relief building up in her eyes. It was stunning, the strong, confident girl Ruby remembered was crying after _seeing_ her, even if it was after several years of her being missing.

As she stared at Yang in shock, memories boiled to the surface of her mind, and with them, a series of emotions.

 **Anger, pain, _betrayal._**

With a snarl she grabbed her scythe, allowing it to unfurl into its full glory.

Surprised at Ruby's sudden change in attitude, and clear display of animosity, Yang's grip on Ruby's arm slackened.

Ruby took the opportunity, pulling her arm from Yang's grip, and using it to take ahold of her scythe. Now with the full ability to wield her weapon, she swung it angrily at Yang.

Shocked, but not paralyzed with it, Yang jumped out of the way. The scythe passed harmlessly beneath her. Ruby making no effort to continue her attack, fled. With a slash at a nearby window, earning her a shower of glass along with a few shrieks of surprise from the students, she spread her wings and dropped out of the Bullhead.

Her anger at her 'sister' had gotten the better of her. It was bad enough that she had not only attacked her, but fled as well, but now Ozpin might expel her in fear of a similar, more deadly situation happening.

It was a miracle in itself that they let her into the school, despite knowing who she was and what she did.

Ozpin was stupid, but he can definitely learn from his mistakes.

Landing on Beacon grounds, she looked around, before deciding to explore. If she was to be expelled, then she might as well get familiar with the place first… She'd probably be returning here, illegally.

* * *

Weiss was having a (relatively) normal day. That is, if you don't count the stress that had been piling up.

Her father, the head of a famous, and very influential, Dust company, had recently died. Not only did she have to deal with the series of emotions that came with a dead parent, but she also had to force the Dust-damned media away, and convince her sister, Winter, to take over the company temporarily.

Neither was easy. Weiss was supposed to inherit the company for a multitude of reasons, one being that Winter didn't want to. Not only that, but Winter had abandoned all of the training it required to run such a ginormous company.

However, Winter had a soft spot for her sister.

Ever since childhood, Weiss had desperately wanted to make a name for herself. A name that completely disregarded her Schnee heritage. With that in mind she trained to become a Huntress, eventually joining one of the schools in Atlas.

She could not become a Huntress while she was running a company. So, Winter took it upon herself to run it temporarily, making Weiss promise that if her goal had not been achieved, that she would retake her inheritance.

Hoping for relief, she had taken the public Bullhead to Beacon instead of a private one. She did not expect to find her father's killer in the airship with her. Imagine her surprise when angry black wings fell off the ship, quickly flying to Beacon.

 _'No… This can't be happening…'_

The Fallen Angel was attending a school designed to train warriors. How ironic.

 _'What is Ozpin thinking?! I need to talk to him first thing, once I get off this stupid, slow vehicle!'_

* * *

Ruby wandered around for a few minutes before the Bullhead dropped off the new Beacon students nearby. Scowling, Ruby flew into a tall tree. She searched for the familiar blonde among the students.

The moment the door opened wide enough, Yang bolted out, a look of panic on her face. She quickly looked around for any sign of red, before sprinting down a random path in a clear attempt to search for her.

Soon after, Ruby relaxed. The other students probably wouldn't pay her to much attention, even if her bright red cloak demanded it. Feeling eyes on her, she reflexively tensed, before looking around cautiously. Her silver eyes met a pair of catlike yellow eyes.

The yellow-eyed girl narrowed her eyes, before walking off after pulling a book out.

 _'She's clearly a Faunus. Humans might not notice, but since I've been around the White Fang for a while, it's noticeable. Although she seems familiar… Was she a part of the White Fang?'_

* * *

Blake forced herself to break away from the staring contest and walk away.

She'd seen that girl before.

 _'She was with the White Fang… What is she doing here? Did she defect like me? What kind of Faunus is she?'_

She continued to walk, one foot directly in front of the other, taking care to avoid the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company as she stormed off to the school.

 _'Is she hiding her Faunus traits? Like I am?'_

She couldn't focus on her book, being too deep in her thoughts. The words blurred as she focused too hard on her thoughts. Her Faunus instincts prevented her from colliding with anything, but in exchange she went off path into the forest. Her mind ran in circles before she finally decided to retrace her steps, and walk to the school.

 _'I'll have to talk with her…'_

* * *

Ruby didn't bother going to whatever speech Ozpin had planned, it would only serve to make it easier for Yang to find her. She desperately hoped that she wouldn't be on the same team with her.

She didn't want to talk to Yang. She didn't want to _look_ at Yang. She didn't want to _**think**_ about Yang.

All that came from thinking about her were pain and anger.

 _'How dare you…'_

A few minutes into her dark thoughts, students started to trickle out of the auditorium. A fast-walking Glynda strode up to Ruby's tree, slight annoyance showing through her stern expression.

"Miss Rose, the students will be sleeping in the ballroom."

Ruby scowled down at her, "There's someone in this school that I _don't want to meet again._ She'll definitely be sleeping in there, so I won't go."

A barely noticeable flash of realization crossed Glynda's eyes, before she seemed to think about the situation. "Very well, would you like to sleep in a guest bedroom?" she asked.

Ruby couldn't help the mix of relief and suspicion that wove its way into her scowl, transforming it into a sort-of smirk. "Do I have to? I'm right at home in this tree," she said teasingly.

Glynda's eyes narrowed at her tone, "Yes, you do. I cannot allow students outside after curfew."

 _'I bet that's just an excuse so she can get me back…'_

"Fine," was Ruby's answer before she jumped off the tree, landing on the heels of her feet. She looked to the stern professor as a silent "lead me" came.

Glynda led her to a simple bedroom, the only furniture being a large bed and a single nightstand. There was nothing special about it, but it had been taken care of properly. Ruby examined the room through sight, hoping to not find any obvious signs of cameras or voice recorders.

Her hopes came true, and she smirked, before letting herself be a little childish, twirling around dizzyingly. She noticed Glynda raise a brow at her actions, clearly not expecting such an action from a cold-blooded assassin.

Smiling, she let her wings unfurl.

 _'They already know who I am… It's uncomfortable anyway…'_

* * *

Glynda was surprised that Ruby would display her Faunus traits without any hesitation. She knew who this girl was, yes, but she didn't expect her to show her wings off.

Black feathers scaled down each wing, clearly well groomed. They gleamed in the bright light from the lamp in the room. The wings lifted up the cloak they hid under as they extended to full length, each wingtip touching the opposite walls.

The room was cubic, with each wall being five meters in length, speaking volumes about her wingspan. Underneath the cloak a clump of folded metal shined in the lamplight, likely the scythe she was known to use.

Realizing she was staring, Glynda quickly turned around pausing to speak, before walking off. "It'd probably be a good idea not to repeat that incident with Miss Xiao Long."

And with that, she left a baffled assassin staring at her back. Walking to Professor Ozpin's office, she took careful watch off the halls, making sure that a student wasn't wandering. The shattered moon shined brightly in the sky, it was already well past curfew.

While new students have to be let off with a mere warning, second years and up can be given detention. Glynda will not allow broken rules to stay in pieces, she'll make sure to give the proper punishment, which sometimes is worse than detention.

After her march through the school, she stopped in front of the headmaster's office. Mentally bracing herself, and vowing to try one last time to convince Ozpin to expel Ruby, she opened the door and walked in.

* * *

Yang was a wreck.

She had found her! After seven years of Ruby being missing, she finally found her!

But… Ruby, wasn't like Yang remembered…

Sure she had grown, that was natural. Most of the baby fat had diminished, her hair was a little longer, but it had clearly been cut during the past seven years. Her eyes were sharper, cautious, no doubt from her occupation.

No, that wasn't anything worrying, nor was it what had Yang sobbing into her hands. That was not what turned a fearless woman, who smiles in the face of danger, into a weeping damsel.

The look of pure _anger_ that had penetrated her face was _horrifying_. So, Yang was in the bathroom, sitting in a stall, crying her eyes out. She should've been prepared for this… Her sister was the Fallen Angel, an assassin. She had been taken at the delicate age of _eight_ by who knows what, or who.

So then why?

Why did she looked so betrayed when she looked at Yang?

What happened in those seven years?

* * *

Ruby stalked down the halls of the school.

Training paid off, allowing her to sneak stealthily around the shadows.

She wanted to know what was happening around the school. What Yang was doing, what that Faunus girl was doing. She was even mildly curious if the rumors were true, and the Schnee heiress was attending Beacon.

One third of her questions were answered when she saw a, clearly annoyed, slightly panicked, girl dressed in white storm off to a (seemingly) random door.

 _'Hmm… She'll be a pain…'_

She wandered over to the ballroom, looking through a crack in the doors. She couldn't see much with the limits, so she pushed the door, soundlessly, in, popping her head through to take a quick look around.

Her Faunus eyes absorbed the massive picture, quickly spotting the bow-wearing girl, but finding Yang missing.

 _'Is she looking for me?'_

That thought echoing through her mind, she took a quick glide, enhanced with her Semblance, around the school.

With no flash of bright-blonde hair to be seen, she returned to her guest room.

One last glance at the star-filled sky, and she closed her eyes.

 _'While I wouldn't mind teaming with that Faunus girl, I hope they don't team me with Yang or the Schnee… I wonder if Ozpin will take threats…'_

And then, she fell asleep.

* * *

 **And from here, chapters get longer... Hopefully... Wish me good luck!**

 **Review!**

 **Edited by Caroline98**


	4. Black Queen

**I'm SO SORRY that this took so long! If wasn't my intention…**

 **Also, for those who don't know, the alternate ending is out…**

 **I lacked motivation to continue, but I do believe I finally found it… No guarantee that the next chapter will be out soon…**

 **This chapter is kind of short, but hopefully you'll be happy with just the fact that _it came out._**

* * *

Weiss was outraged. _'How?! How can he let her attend here when he knows who she is?! What she's done?!'_ She had gone to Ozpin's office first thing after the Bullhead landed, but he hadn't budged! Everything she threw at him, _her father's murder_ , was brushed off as just another reason to have her here!

 _'I've changed my mind; I'd rather have gone to Atlas.'_

Glynda had come into the office and attempted as well, to try and convince Ozpin to expel her.

Nothing. Worked.

Weiss was convinced she had to rid the school of the assassin pest _herself_. Which was why she was currently storming the school, demanding the whereabouts of a girl in a red hood.

No one seemed to know. She never came to the ballroom either.

 _'Great. Just great. I can't find her..!'_

She would've continued her hurricane until she found the killer, but her search was interrupted.

 **"All first years must prepare for initiation. Repeat: all first years must prepare for initiation"**

With the decision between her future and the possibility of getting rid of a threat, she was forced to choose her future.

 _'As long as she isn't on my team…'_

* * *

Ruby was giggling, as she raced the wind to the locker room. She wanted to be the first one in, and the first one out.

The door didn't budge when she ran into it head on- much to her protest.

"Stupid door… Why is it so _sturdy_?!" Annoyed, and mood ruined, she punched the door with all her strength, wincing when she realized her mistake. Her knuckles were bloodied and red, but she just grunted in annoyance and used the doorknob instead.

She zoomed to her locker, grinning when she felt her Aura knit the skin on her knuckles back together. Punching in the code, she retrieved her spare daggers- the only weapon she put in the locker. She wanted to make sure her weapons wouldn't be tampered with in anyway- not that she would ever leave her beloved scythe in the academy's hands. If a screw was loose, if a blade was dull, if the trigger was jammed, if, if, if. Even a small misplacement of something could lead to the her demise in the face of the Grimm, or her real enemy, the Hunters themselves. As such, she opted to leave her less complicated weapons- the daggers she was currently holding. They were for backup, but have so far been never used.

She examined them carefully, but found no hint of damage that was there before. No traces of any devices in any of the many nooks and crannies of the daggers either.

Mildly content with her observations' lack of results, she slipped the daggers into her boots, closed her locker quietly, and sprinted out of the locker room's back door.

Just as the door silently clicked behind her, the front door opened to reveal a distressed Yang. She glanced around, hoping silently, but her face became downcast when she realized that Ruby wasn't there. She sighed and went to get locker to get her gear.

* * *

When Ruby arrived on Beacon Cliff, the first thing she noticed were the two teachers. The Headmaster, Ozpin, stood tall, sipping his steaming mug of coffee, while Glynda shot a stern glare at her, before speaking. "Take your position on the launching pads, you will have to wait for the other students.

Ruby internally groaned, while outwardly sending a glare of her own to the professor. _'Great. There goes all of my efforts to avoid Yang and the Schnee…'_

She went to the launch pads closer to the end, standing on the last one.

The wait was roughly a dozen minutes. A dozen agonizingly boring minutes for Ruby. The only entertainment she had was winning a tiny, pointless, argument with Glynda. She roared with laughter until some students started getting close, to which she put on a poker face and threw her hood up.

Much to her dismay, the Schnee was one of the students coming. The stark white of her combat uniform was a contrast to the duller colors of the other students.

The expression of utter shock that passed 'Ice Queen's' face _almost_ made the wait worth it. Then Ruby saw Yang, and suddenly she wished she was one of the _last_ students to come rather than one of the first.

Her 'sister' claimed the launching pad next to her.

Ruby shot a nasty glare at her, before looking away and refusing to look back.

The first of the launch pads were taken by the Schnee and the yellow-eyed girl.

There was an almost creepily hyper girl next to a stoic boy.

And then there was an idiotic blonde who asked dumb questions as if he was new to the Hunter career.

Actually, that didn't sound too far-fetched to Ruby.

The headmaster gave a mini speech, mostly irrelevant to Ruby. The only part that irritated her was how the partners were picked.

 _'Then again, if I don't land, it doesn't count right..?'_ She thought mischievously.

The launch pads activated, as Ruby took her stance.

She missed the sorrowful gaze of Yang, before she was sent flying.

Ruby went right after her.

She waited until she reached the peak height that the launching pads allowed, angling herself into a nosedive. The wind deafened her, but her eyes didn't miss anything that happened.

Yang was quite literally exploding her way into the forest, using Dust ammo to give her a boost the launching pads didn't.

Making a mental note not to go in that direction, Ruby looked for the blinding white of the Schnee. Said 'spoiled little brat', according to Ruby, used her glyphs to land safely.

Realizing she was angled in the Schnee's direction, she unfurled her wings, angling herself sideways. The wind immediately caught, and she was thrown to the right, right into someone Ruby hadn't seen.

""Agh!"" They yelled at once, spiraling down into the forest.

In pure annoyance, Ruby briefly forgot Ozpin's words, looking into the person she ran into. Straight into catlike-yellow eyes.

Ruby blinked in surprise, but decided that she was fine with her capture, she grabbed onto the girl's shoulders and allowed them both to land in a tree with no harm.

"Wait! I remember you!" The girl exclaimed.

"I thought you looked familiar…" Ruby said in response.

"You were...the one who was-"

"Don't say it!" Ruby interrupted. "Which direction do you think the temple is in? I didn't get the chance to look for it."

The girl blinked, surprised at the subject change, then sighed.

"I believe north is...that way." She said, pointing in a seemingly random direction, "My name is Blake by the way."

"Ruby." She responded.

The two of them jumped from the tree, landing safely, and walked off to 'the north'.

* * *

Weiss trudged through the endless undergrowth, slapping foliage from her path, grumbling all the way.

By her side was the champion, Pyrrha, and the bumbling idiot, Jaune. Neither of them were her partner.

She felt supremely annoyed that the blonde could foil her plans with Pyrrha, but she knew she had more pressing concerns.

They followed Pyrrha, since Weiss had unintentionally made it clear that she couldn't figure out which direction to head in.

There was an uncomfortable silence, but Weiss didn't want to give Jaune anything he might take as a hint, so she kept quiet.

"YOU… YOU MONSTER!" A scream rang out, and after a battle cry, an Ursa was thrown through a group of trees, immediately starting to dissipate.

A second Ursa swung its massive paw at a girl, but it never made it to the body to do damage.

It was completely frozen.

The blonde stared at it in surprise, before glancing around, meeting Weiss' gaze.

"I could've taken it…" the blonde said.

Weiss huffed and continued walking.

"So~ we're partners right?" The blonde started again, following Weiss and her two companions.

"Unfortunately." Was her annoyed reply.

* * *

"Think this is it?" Ruby asked her partner, as they looked down to abandoned temple.

"Most likely."

They jumped down, Blake landing on all fours like a cat while Ruby used her wings to land softly on her feet.

"Chess pieces?" Ruby muttered.

"Some of them are already taken." Blake commented.

Ruby glanced around, taking in the remaining pieces.

"How about this?" Ruby said showing her partner the black queen.

Blake glanced over, "Sure, why not."

"YEE-HAAAWW!" Came from the forest, while an Ursa stumbled into view, apparently being rode by the creepy-hyper girl from earlier. The Ursa swung its claws in a vain attempt to fight until it gave in and collapsed. The pink girl examined it, and a pouty "Aww, it's broken", did nothing to stop Ruby from face-palming. Grimm are useless as mounts.

The girl disappeared immediately after, while her partner was left in the dust.

She inspected the White Rook before spouting out "I'm Queen of the Castle~, I'm Queen of the Castle~", to which Ruby felt sorry for the boy in green.

"Nora!" Said partner protested, and the girl, apparently called 'Nora' sped off to him.

It all happened so fast Ruby couldn't stop herself from scowling, but barely managed to keep herself from not shooting her middle finger.

"Tch, why's she so hyper?!" Ruby mumbled in annoyance.

"I guess she's not the cautious type…" Ruby could hear Blake replying.

A bird-like screech was heard overhead, and the silhouette of a giant Nevermore was seen in the sky as it quickly drew closer.

"Oh, _great_." Ruby said sarcastically.

As if to jinx it, another squeal was heard, and the trees to the left crashed down, revealing a massive Deathstalker, chasing down four people.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, having spotted Yang.

"Just what I asked for…" She mumbled, sarcasm still evident.

"Hey," she nudged her partner, "Don't trust the blonde girl, and obviously not the Schnee." She advised.

Blake's eyebrow raised in curiosity, but didn't question her partner.

The Deathstalker batted the students away with its tail, sending them flying.

Yang landed with a roll, turning to ace the Deathstalker and punching a round in its face. The beast only shrugged it off, while Weiss activated her glyphs, freezing the Deathstalkers legs to the ground.

Jaune hit the ground on his face, and groaning, stumbled up, leagues away from his partner, who jumped straight over the stinger, instead of getting slapped by it, and ran to group up with the others.

"Did they just run here with a Deathstalker on their tail?" Blake muttered rhetorically, while Ruby grimaced as Yang spotted her.

"Ruby!" She said excitedly, bounding up to her.

"Shut up, don't talk to me!" Ruby barked, gaining a sickening satisfaction when Yang's expression changed to a more sullen one.

"Look, I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry, okay?!" She pleaded.

Ruby was about to fire back an answer to cripple her 'sister' even more, until the Deathstalker screeched again. "Stupid scorpion, it had to be a Deathstalker didn't it…"

Pyrrha magnificently showed how she got her name, 'The Invincible Girl', as she expertly battled the Deathstalker. However, she was still a novice with teamwork, and was unable to properly work with her new partner. She misjudged her partner's strength, and was pushed aside, as the Deathstalker screeched again, while simultaneously destroying Weiss' ice.

With its charge renewed, it continued onwards, only to be stopped as a hammer descended upon it.

"Get your 'relic' and lets go. I'd rather not fight meaningless fights." Ruby ordered. Only slightly surprised that the students actually followed her orders.

She glared at her sister, unspoken words scalding, before she took off.

Jaune took the first piece he saw, as did Weiss, and they followed Ruby and Blake.

They headed towards the cliff, Deathstalker not far behind.

* * *

There was a single moment, as she charged up the cliff with the help of the Schnee's glyphs, that she felt sorry for this Nevermore she had caught.

It was a monster, like her, who gained happiness from others' despair, also much like her.

They weren't quite so different, Nevermores were ravens. Yet helping Nevermores wasn't part of her mission, the mission Cinder gave her.

So, without regret, she felt the Nevermore's armor-like feathers finally give way, and her scythe sliced straight through the Nevermore's neck.

She landed on the top of the cliff, and glanced back down at the other students, before walking to meet with Ozpin, curious of if he was still letting her stay.

The walk to the headmaster was short, and he appeared to be waiting for her.

"Ah, yes, do you have a question, Miss Rose?"

"... You're still letting me stay here?" She asked him.

"Of course, there's no doubt in my mind."

* * *

"We are short several students, as three unfortunately passed away during initiation, and one is unable to continue as a hunter. As such, we will be combining the remaining two pairs, one that has gathered the Black Queen, and the other the White Bishop, to form team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

There was no longer any doubt in her mind, and likely Weiss' or Yang's, Ozpin was an _idiot_.

Weiss vocalized her protests, both at being led by her 'nemesis' and by being on the same team as her. Yang didn't say anything, nor did Blake, but neither seemed overly happy.

Weiss had forced herself for the sake of the grade to follow Ruby's orders while they were fighting the Nevermore, but if she had known it would be the deciding factor in creating the team, she would've happily plunged Myrtenaster through the assassin's back.

After Ozpin's mini speech, the new first years were dismissed. They walked to their new dorm room in deathly silence.

Ruby found herself grinning evilly when she saw Weiss' horrified expression, still on her face.

"Hey, Weiss." She poked.

Weiss turned to glare at her, not even _trying_ to mask her hatred for Ruby. "What do you want?" She asked through gritted teeth. All of her hopes were quickly getting shattered, and it was all at the fault of this criminal!

"Would your father be proud of how you passed initiation?" Ruby mocked, to add salt to the wound.

"Why you little-" Weiss snarled, drawing Myrtenaster, only to be interrupted by Yang, pushing Weiss back.

" _Stop_." Was all she said, to which Weiss glared, but backed down. Even the heiress knew to fight two on one was a disadvantage.

Ruby stared at her unmoving half-sister, who was staring at thin air.

Weiss stormed off, not even bothering with her luggage.

Blake disappeared out of the door as well, likely going to find a quiet spot to read.

Yang turned to her, but didn't say anything.

"What?" Ruby mumbled, annoyed.

"Are you...going to tell me? Anything?" She asked quietly, expectantly.

"Of course not." Ruby spat.

"Ruby, please-!"

"Shut up." Ruby looked away.

"Just please...tell me something!" Yang pleaded.

Ruby looked directly into her sister's eyes, and she decided to tell her one thing. Hopefully the nasty truth would deter her idiotic 'sister.'

The words burned her tongue, so she spit them out, right into her 'sister's' face.

"I hate you!"

Yang looked physically hurt, as if Crescent Thorn had cut into her instead of words. Yang's lip trembled, and then it formed into a stern scowl.

Her eyes were a blazing red.

* * *

 **I have nothing more to say :p**


End file.
